Men’s Mental Health – Accessibility is a start to addressing the
issue

Raising the profile of Men and their mental health has been
recently highlighted by Prince Harry and his promotion of the “Heads Together”
campaign. The many theories and statistics relating to men’s mental health
and their willingness to seek help are at once concerning and
frightening. Statistics show that men particularly aged under 50 are at high
risk of suicide. In most of the articles on this subject there are
well-rehearsed theories, most relating to the psychological and sociological
perception of men by themselves, and indeed without any doubt these are valid
and relevant.

There is another interesting statistic which is worthy of
analysis, and it relates to the number and availability of male counsellors –
is there a correlation to the number of men seeing a counsellor? In 2014
out of 40,000 counsellors registered with the BACP, only 20% are male.

In addition to their presenting problems, men come with an
additional agenda – their masculinity and how it is being challenged. The
sociological conditioning which is cited most often for men not seeking
counselling – such notions as “big boys don’t cry” and that men are encouraged
to be “strong and successful”, seeking help through counselling is
therefore seen as a failure in the concept of “being a man”. Crucially men
need to break free from these stereotypes, and seek to understand themselves as
individuals.

Does this also apply to men considering a career as a
counsellor? The rigorous self-examination required during a counselling
training course, including experiential groups, role play and personal therapy
are challenging for all students, but demand a particularly strong self-belief
amongst men to overcome the resistance instilled by their social conditioning.

Some of the answers I believe also lie behind the closed
doors of the counselling room, the creation of a secure therapeutic space, and
a comfortable therapeutic alliance between the counsellor and the client, is
important with all clients, but particularly for men who are taking this
journey for the first time. If the exposure of emotions is perceived as
weakness, the presence of another male who can share to some degree these sensitivities,
will offer re-assurance and safety. The exposure of emotional
vulnerability to a neutral male does not carry the same sensitivities as with a
female where the presence of maternal attachment influences as well as the
sociological concept of “being a man” could both discomfort the client.
There is less pressure on the male client to fulfil the
expectations of “being a man” when sitting with another
male. It is perhaps a function of the male to male chemistry which is
unspoken, but understood, coming in to play.

The potential of erotic transference and occasionally more
blatant sexual tensions are often discussed, the presence of these
feelings in the counselling room will be an additional issue which can be
largely avoided in a male-male counselling dyad. My experience has led me to
the conclusion that in many cases there is a deliberate selection by men in the
counsellor they will be comfortable working with, this I believe reflects the
needs of men to have some degree of control.

If there exists some hesitation towards seeking help,
additional complicating factors will make this decision even harder.

A change in attitude towards the particular needs of men is
long overdue, recent reports about male domestic abuse again highlight the differential
in support offered to men and this needs to be addressed. Ultimately
counselling services need to be able to reflect the needs of the community it
serves, the more that men seek out counselling services, and experience
positive outcomes, this will reflect positively in more men taking up
counselling training to make a career in this area.

In a sector which is so dominated by the female gender, it
is surely incumbent upon the professional institutions, and training
organisations and employers to make every attempt to redress the
balance. The promotion of Counselling as a viable and rewarding career for
males, and potentially the positive selection of male counsellors into public
sector roles wherever possible would be a move in the right direction.